Folding rocking chair



1962 D M. MCPHERSON ET AL 3,048,440

FOLDING ROCKING CHAIR Filed Dec. 27, 1960 pAV/O MMC/ HEESON OLFI Q W L INVENTORS BY m4 1 W ATTORNEY This invention relates to a novel rocking chair and more particularly to a rocking chair wherein the chair can be partially detached from the rocker unit and folded or collapsed onto said rocker unit for storage or transporta-tion.

More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel rocker unit capable of being attached to a conventional folding chair of the type normally used out-of-doors on porches, patios and lawns, for readily converting such a folding chair into a rocking chair.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel rocker unit which may be detachably connected to a folding chair so that it may be readily disengaged therefrom to enable the folding chair to be utilized in a conventional manner.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating presently preferred embodiments thereof, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of one form of the folding rocking chair;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the rocker unit, as seen in FIGURE 1, detached from the chair;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view, taken substantially along the line 33 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of a portion of the chair and rocker unit, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 44 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 3, taken through another part of the chair and rocker unit, and

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to FIGURE 4 but showing a slightly modified form of the rocker unit.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the folding rocking chair in its entirety is designated generally 8 and includes a folding chair, designated generally 9, and a rocker unit, designated generally 10.

The folding chair 9 is of conventional construction, of the type normally used outof-doors on porches, patios, lawns and the like, having a frame 11 formed primarily of lightweight tubular metal such as aluminum, including U-shaped members 12 and 13 having substantially parallel side portions 14 and 15, respectively, forming the front legs and rear legs of the chair. The two front legs 14 of the member 12 are connected together at their lower ends by the intermediate portion 16 of said member 12, and the lower ends of the two rear legs are similarly connected by an intermediate portion 17 of the U-shaped member 13. A seat frame 18 of the chair 9 is pivotally connected at or near its rear end at 19 to the lower end of the back rest frame 21 of the chair. Arm rests 22 are pivotally connected at 23 to the sides of the back rest frame 21, above and spaced from its lower end and extend forwardly therefrom. The upper ends of the front legs 14 are pivotally connected at 24 to forward portions of the arm rests 22 and intermediate portions of said front legs 14 straddle a part of the seat frame 18 and are pivotally connected thereto at 25. The upper ends of the rear legs 15 are pivotally connected to the arm rests 22 at 26, between the pivots 23 and 24, and have portions straddling the rear part of the seat frame 18, but which are not 3,048,440 Patented Aug. 7, 1962 connected thereto. Rigid links 27 are pivotally connected at their upper ends 28 to the lower ends of the sides of the back rest frame 21, and have lower ends pivotally connected at 29 to the rear legs 15. The front legs 14 and rear legs 15 extend downwardly in diverging relation to one another when the chair is extended, as seen in full lines in FIGURE 1. The chair 9, as briefly described, is of conventional construction.

The novel rocking unit 10 includes an endless rigid tubular member, designated generally 30, having corresponding side portions 31 and 32 and corresponding end portions 33 and 34. The side portions 31 and 32 are connected together in spaced apart substantially parallel relation by the end portions 33 and 34 which integrally join with the ends of said side portions. The side portions 31 and 32 form the rocker elements of the rocker unit 10 and are each longitudinally bowed from end-to-end thereof, so that the rocker unit 10, as seen in FIGURE 1, is longitudinally bowed from end-to-end thereof to provide a convex underside 35 and a concave upper side 36. The spacing between the rocker elements 31 and 32, defining the width of the rocker unit 10, is less than the spacing between the front legs 14 or the rear legs 15.

The cross member 17 of the rear legs 15 extends across the rocker unit 11 and rests on upper sides of the rocker elements 31 and 32 near to but spaced from the rear cross member 34. Metal strap members 37 have arch shaped intermediate portions 38 engaging over the cross member 17 and end portions 39 which bear upon spaced portions of the upper sides of the rocker elements 31 and 32 and which are secured thereto in any conventional manner, as by means of fastenings 40. The rear cross member 17 fits turnably between the arch portions 38 and the rocker elements 31 and 32.

Rearwardly opening rigid hook shaped strap members 41 are secured to the upper sides of the rocker elements 31 and 32 near the forward cross member 33, said hook members 41 each including a lower leg or shank 42 which is secured in any conventional manner as by a fastening 43 to the upper side of its rocker element 31 or 32, beyond the other shorter upper leg or bill 44 of said hook shaped member. The hook members 41, like the strap members 37, are disposed in transverse alignment to one another, and are spaced from the arch portions 38 of the strap members 37 a distance corresponding to the spacing between the rear cross member 17 and the front cross member 16 of the legs 15 and 14, respectively. Thus, when the chair 9 is extended the front cross member 16 will engage in the rearwardly opening hooks 41 and will be mounted on forward portions of the rocker elements 31 and 32, so that the rocking chair 8 may be utilized in a conventional manner.

In order to fold or collapse the rocking chair 8, the seat frame 18 is swung upwardly about its pivot 19 and the back rest frame 21 is swung forwardly, causing the arm rests 22 to swing upwardly about their pivots 23, and the links 27 to swing downwardly and rearwardly about their pivots 29 and with the lower end of the back rest frame 21 moving with the upper ends of said links. This will cause the front legs. 14 to swing rearwardly or toward the rear legs 15 to move the front cross member 16 rearwardly and out of engagement with the hooks 41, so that the chair 9 can thereafter be folded in a conventional manner and swung downwardly by turning the rear cross member 17 in the strap portions 38 to position the folded chair 9 against the rocker unit 10, as illustrated in dotted lines in FIGURE 1, to thus position the rocking chair 8 in a folded or collapsed position for storage or transportation.

The chair 9 is returned to its erect full line position of FIGURE 1 in a conventional manner by lifting upwardly on the back rest frame 21 and thereafter pressing downwardly on the seat frame 18, and as the front legs 14 swing away from the rear legs 15 the front cross member 16 will enter the rearwardly opening hook members 41 to be thus connected to forward portions of the rocker elements 31 and 32.

It will thus be seen that a novel rocker unit 10 has been provided which can be very readily connected to a conventional folding chair 9 to combine therewith to provide a novel folding rocking chair, and which can be accomplished without any modifications of the chair. It will also be readily apparent that the rocker unit 10 may be attached to folding chairs wherein the front and rear cross members are not integrally connected to the front and rear legs, respectively, and wherein said cross members may be spaced short distances from the lower ends of the legs.

FIGURE 6 illustrates a slightly different form of the rocker unit, and wherein the rocker unit may be Corn pletely detached from the chair 9 when the chair is moved to a folded or partially folded position.

The rocker unit of FIGURE 6 differs from the rocker unit 10 of FIGURES 1 to only in that the connecting members or straps 37 are each replaced by a connecting member or strap 45, one of which is shown. The strap 45- has a rear end portion 46 shown disposed on and secured in any conventional manner as by means of a fastening 47 to the upper side of the rocker element 32', which corresponds to either the rocker element 32 or 31.. The strap member 45 has an upwardly bowed intermediate portion 48 which is disposed forwardly of the secured rear end 46 and which engages over the rear cross member 17, and an upwardly turned forward free end 49. The strap member 45 is formed of a resilient material so that the portions 48 and 49 thereof can be sprung upwardly. The cross member 17 fits turnably under the portions 48 so that the chair can be folded or extended in the same manner as previously described in reference to the rocker 10, when said cross member 17 is held connected to the rocker unit by the straps 45. Additionally, the rocker unit may be pulled rearwardly or from right to left of FIGURE 6, when the chair 9 is folded or when its front cross member 16 is disengaged from the hooks 4 1, for disengaging the rear cross member 17 from the straps 45, to thereby disconnect the rocker unit from the chair. Conversely, the rocker can be moved in the opposite direction or from left to right relative to the rear cross member 17, for causing the free ends 49 of the Straps 45 to be sprung upwardly by and pass over the cross member 17 to thereby connect the rocker unit to the chair and complete the detachable connection. When the chair 9 is extended the rear cross member 17 tends to move rearwardly toward the secured rear ends 46 of the straps 45, so that there is no tendency for the straps to become disengaged from said cross member while the chair is in use.

The end cross pieces 33 and 34 in addition to reinforcing and bracing the rocker elements 31 and 32 relative to one another, additionally afford safety means in that said rocker unit provides no sharp ends, like a conventional rocker, which could cause injury.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resorted to, without departing from the function or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claim.

We claim as our invention:

A rocker unit for use with a folding chair of the type having a rear cross member connecting lower portions of the rear legs and a front cross member connecting lower portions of the front legs of the chair, comprising an elongated rigid rectangular frame having corresponding transversely spaced sides forming rocker ele ments, said frame being bowed longitudinally from endto-end thereof to provide a concave upper side and a convex underside, a pair of transversely aligned rear hook members secured to upper sides of the rocker elements adjacent a rear end of the frame and including forwardly extending resilient hook portions yieldably disposed relative to said rocker elements and adapted to yieldably engage over said rear cross member, between said rear legs, for connecting said rear cross member pivotally and detachably to the frame, and a pair of transversely aligned front connecting members secured to the upper sides of said rocker elements adjacent a forward end of the frame and comprising rearwardly opening rigid hooks in which said front cross member engages, between said front legs, and from which said front cross member is detachable rearwardly by movement of the chair to a folded position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 179,920 Holton July 18, 1876 678,376 Carlson July 16, 1901 2,110,338 Oermann Mar. 8, 1938 2,192,672 Conner Mar. 5, 1940 2,788,056 Parker Apr. 9, 1957 2,812,801 I-Ieyman Nov. 12, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 203,171 Austria May 11, 1959 960,292 France Oct. 24-, 1949 

